How the UK recycles millions of dirty old disposable coffee cups

Flexible table is actually three tables

This article was taken from the March 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content bysubscribing online.

This flexible furniture is implicitly programmed by Italian architect and engineer Carlo Ratti to change shape. His prototype, a coffee table known as MyWing, is made of pinewood interspersed with aluminium, creating a bendy metallic weave. "Each joint is digitally designed to rotate to certain angles, providing several stable shapes that you can change by folding it," Ratti says. "This is achieved by producing thousands of slightly different pieces that are combined like a jigsaw during assembly."

The prototype is currently in production by high-end furniture designer Cassina, launching commercially later this year. "With digital fabrication, it's like printing on paper. Every sheet can be unique."

This article was first published in the March 2014 issue of WIRED magazine